


letters from me to you.

by chokedme



Category: IT (2017)
Genre: Advice Column, M/M, add a dash of pining, and voilà!, i got this idea in a bathroom lol, sending letter, super fluffy, we got a full course meal here girls and gays, writing letters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-29
Updated: 2018-09-29
Packaged: 2019-07-18 20:55:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16126550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chokedme/pseuds/chokedme
Summary: Eddie sighed, trying to rub the tired out of his eyes. It was already 11 pm, and he had only gotten through half of the letters. Maybe accepting this job was a mistake. Eddie was the school’s self-help column in the newspaper, and unlike other schools, the school newspaper was a big deal to the students of Derry High.





	letters from me to you.

_Dear Eddie,_

_my best friend is ignoring me for no reason!!!! okay, maybe there is a reason, but it isn’t important. how do I get her to start talking to me again? I miss her so much, it’s been like two weeks since we last talked. help meeeeeeee._

_confused_

_Dear Confused,_

_Although you say the reason isn’t important, it’s probably extremely important to her. Consider her feelings in all of this. Did you do something that prompted being ignored? Think about that for a bit. Then, when you’re ready to apologize, tell her. Tell her that you miss her. I promise it’ll all work out.  
                                                                                                 Eddie_

Eddie sighed, trying to rub the tired out of his eyes. It was already 11 pm, and he had only gotten through half of the letters. Maybe accepting this job was a mistake. Eddie was the school’s self-help column in the newspaper, and unlike other schools, the school newspaper was a big deal to the students of Derry High. People would line up every morning to purchase a copy before they ran out, and Eddie’s column was the highlight of each issue. People would write in for advice of all kinds.

Relationships, friend issues, even sex and drugs. Eddie had to really fight for that last topic though. But sitting here at his desk, buried in high school grammar and problems of the sort, he regretted fighting in any way for this job. Sure, it had its perks. He was the most popular senior in school, had a lot of friends and admirers. But it was hard work, and sometimes he didn't really want to do it.

After taking a two-minute break to stretch his fingers, he picked up the next letter and dove in, his gears already getting prepared to solve the problem before him. But this wasn’t a problem. Eddie couldn’t believe what he was reading. He shook his head violently as if the letters on the page would rearrange, then read it again.

_dear Eddie,_

_I know we’re supposed to be writing in for advice or whatever, but i have something more important to say than a stupid high school problem that can be solved with a little communication. not to roast anyone else that writes in or anything (: but i wanted to tell you that i like you, i like you a lot. I plan on staying anonymous for now, but i wanted you to know that there was someone like me out there. someone who really appreciates you as a person and thinks ur amazing. idk im rambing at this point but you get the idea. see u around spaghetti!  
                                                                                                   anonymous loser_

Eddie didn’t really know how to respond. Was this a joke? Did someone write in as a joke or something? Everyone at the school knew he was gay, it’s not like it was a secret or anything. He had told off his overprotective mother months ago, and since then came out to his friends and to the school. He wore whatever clothes he wanted, whether it was pastel or dark or bright. Eddie was as lucky as can be when it came to that. Other people didn’t have too much luck, like

\--

Richie was freaking out. He played with Stan’s sleeve absentmindedly, much to the other boy’s disgust. “What if he knows it’s me? What if he’s disgusted? What if he tells my parents? What if he --” Stan snatched his arm away from Richie’s grip and continued working on his homework, what he was doing before Richie burst into his house. “First of all, Eddie is your best friend. He wouldn’t be disgusted. Worse case scenario, he doesn’t feel the same and you go back to being friends.” Stan chewed on his eraser. “Now, if you could please let me finish my history in peace, it would be greatly appreciated.” Richie took this as an invitation to get off Stan’s bed and instead move to the desk chair. “You think he’ll post in the newspaper?” Stan grunted.

“I’ll shut up now.”

Richie left Stan’s house feeling more frazzled than when he had got there. He had already texted his other friends about his situation, and none of them seemed more interested in his debacle than Stan. His parents were out of the question, too. They just wanted him to be a normal, sport-playing, high school dude. They would be less than thrilled to hear he liked a boy. Or wanted to pursue music. Or any other part of himself Richie had to hide from his parents. They weren’t too bad he guessed. His mom was pretty active in his social life, and he got along with his dad just fine. Sometimes he just wished his parents were more like

\--

Eddie’s butt had fallen asleep. So had the rest of him. He had fallen asleep at his desk trying to figure out a response to the ambiguous letter he received. None had hit him yet. When he woke up two hours later, he decided just to not publish that one. He would keep it and try to figure out who had written it. For now, he should probably get some sleep. Without even taking off his clothes, Eddie hopped into his bed and curled up in the covers. Sleep took over him, and so did peace. Even though he knew he’d have to wake up early and finish the letters then.

The sound of an alarm clock is the worst sound in the world, Eddie decided. Waking up to the siren blaring in his ears made him want to fall asleep and die. That would probably be preferable. But still, he dragged himself out of bed and into the bathroom, where he showered and brushed his teeth, paying little attention to himself in the mirror. As put together as Eddie Kaspbrak was, he wasn’t cocky. He never looked in mirrors or flat surfaces when he passed by them, the way his hair looked was never a priority of his. Eddie was far too busy focusing on everything else he had to manage in his messed up life. He was the one that kept in order after all. He liked it that way.

After Eddie had gotten dressed for school, he still had another half hour until it started, so he settled down at his desk and tried to write some more answers. It didn’t matter though, every time he would try and write something else, his attention kept veering back to the letter on his desk, unanswered. “Shit,” he cursed under his breath. When he picked it up, it felt heavy in his hands, almost as if it didn’t belong there. Eddie didn’t know that anyone liked him. In fact, he thought that he was the only gay kid that was actually out. A girl wouldn’t write to him like this, and the scratchy handwriting only furthered his reasoning that it was a boy. But who? Who would write to him so boldly

\--

“Like this?” Richie smirked,  rotating his fingers so it was touching his eyes. “No, stupid. You don’t do it like that.” Eddie rolled his eyes, speeding up on the sidewalk to walk next to Beverly, leaving Richie and his stupid fingers behind. “Hey!” He cried, trying to squeeze in next to them, but the sidewalk was only so wide. “So did you ever end up answering that letter you told me about?” Eddie blushed profusely. Richie was behind them and he was the last person he wanted to tell about the letter. 

“Ooh! What letter? A looooove letter?” Richie cooed annoyingly. “Beverly!” Eddie hissed. “Sorry, I was just so excited!” Beverly squealed, gripping the back of Eddie’s backpack to pull him close. “Why didn’t you want Richie to know?” She whispered. Eddie didn’t answer back. He didn’t know how to tell her that he secretly hoped it was Richie, and telling him would ruin the magic. But it was too late for that. So he sighed and leaned back in to whisper, “I’ll tell you later.”

Later meant whenever Richie around, which Eddie came to realize was almost never. Richie was always around, choking on green beans in lunch or throwing balls of paper at Eddie’s head. Not to say that Eddie didn’t enjoy the company because

\--

He did it. Richie sent another letter to Eddie through the advice column box. It was pretty easy to stay anonymous, he just changed his handwriting when he wrote the letter. The problem was people seeing him put it in the box. So he waited until the classes dismissed for lunch before he slipped into the empty hallway and snuck up into the box, pushing the little piece of paper into a slit in the side. Eddie would never know. And that’s the way he wanted to keep it. 

_dear Eddie,_

_Hey. its me again. Well, you dont really know who me is, so never mind. Anyway, i was wondering why you didnt answer my first letter? Are you embarrassed by me? I hope not. I really like you, and i want us to be together. I hope these letters aren’t ruining my chances. If not, i’ll just stop writing them. Anything for a chance with you, spaghetti!_

_Anonymous loser_

Eddie wanted to scream. Or maybe hurl himself off the roof of his house. He had received another anonymous love letter if you could even call it that. He really, really wanted to know who was behind them. It didn’t mean he was promising to like them, just that he wanted them to reveal themselves. Eddie glanced down at the folded up paper again.

“Spaghetti.” He said aloud. They had called him that in the last letter too. He tried to think hard, maybe someone he knew in real life deemed him that. He came up with nothing though, and crumpled up the paper in frustration, tossing it into the trash. He felt bad though and rescued it a few seconds later. He might as well answer back, he wouldn’t really lose anything from it, right?”

_Dear anonymous loser,_

_No, I’m not embarrassed by you. In fact, I want to know who you are. Please write to me again, this time sign your name. I won’t publish it, it’ll be between you and I. And if this is a prank, it’s not funny._

_Eddie_

Eddie emailed his response to the paper’s editor, feeling quite pleased with himself. He thought he answered it pretty well, and it was a win-win situation. If it wasn’t a joke, he would find out who liked him. And if it was a joke, then he wouldn’t be

\--

“Embarrassed?! You asked him if you embarrassed him? Seriously?” Stan was in the middle of his room, pacing back and forth as he listened to Richie tell him the contents of the letter. Richie was lounging on Stan’s bed, looking a lot calmer than he felt. “Is it that bad? You think he’ll hate me?” Stan shrugged and plopped down next to him. “I don’t know, I guess we’ll see when the next newspaper is published, huh?” Richie scrubbed his hands over his face. “Stan, I’m scared.” Stan patted Richie’s shoulder and put a comforting hand over the other boy’s. “It’s okay, Rich. Everything will work out.” The two boys stayed like that for a while, just enjoying each other’s company. Richie was feeling a lot better after Stan came over.

It was in lunch when Richie slipped up. Probably the worst time for that too, since all seven of their friends ate with them. Richie and Eddie sat directly in front of each other, with the rest of the seven fitting in accordingly. Eddie was a bit bummed; it had been three days and he still hadn’t received another letter from the anonymous guy. Maybe it was a joke after all. He had his head on Beverly’s shoulder while he ate, a sad look spread across his face. 

He couldn’t help it, he liked the idea of somebody liking him. Everyone knew the about the letter at this point, and all the other Losers looked at Eddie with pity. Richie was just as brash as usual, pulling Beverly’s hair and tweaking Ben’s nose. It was only til he settled down to eat that he realized the silence at the table. Then he saw Eddie leaning on Beverly’s shoulder looking sorry for himself.

“Aw, what’s wrong, spaghetti?” He cooed. There was a moment of realization, and his cheeks reddened. Eddie lifted his head from Beverly’s shoulder to squint at Richie. Everyone else at the table had varying faces of shock. “Shit, shit, shit,” Richie pushed his glasses up his nose nervously. “I- uh- you- its,”

\--

“You? It’s you, isn’t it.” Eddie said softly. Richie stared blankly at him. “Uh, no?” Eddie did not look pleased with this response. “God, Richie, you can’t be serious for two seconds?” He shrieked, stomping away from the lunch table. Everyone else watched after him, turning to Richie. “Y-you gonna go ah-after him?” Bill mused. Richie nodded and sprung up, chasing after his best friend.

“Eddie!” He called after him. He followed Eddie’s figure to the courtyard, which was deserted. Eddie was standing with his arms crossed in the middle, the wind whipping his clothes in every direction. “Go away, Richie.” Richie stepped closer and turned to face him. “Look Eds, I’m sorry, I should’ve told you from the start, but I was scared you wouldn’t feel the same.” Eddie didn’t look him in the eyes. Richie kept on anyway. 

“Please, give me a chance to explain myself.” Eddie slowly uncrossed his eyes and looked at Richie. Richie looked back at him. They looked at each other for a long time without talking, and as if it was some unspoken agreement, they crashed together, pressing their lips to each other and drinking in the feeling of love.

Richie never needed to write into the column again.

**Author's Note:**

> leave some kind words below! xoxo, @onlyreddie


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